Solutions to Common Management Problems

It is an interesting fact that, irrespective of the product or service of the

organisation in which they work, managers often face the same problems.
The reason for the convergence is, that all managers must manage human
beings; and human beings and systems don't always behave the way you want
them to. That is the problem.
The most common management problems are as follows:

1. Poor communication between various sections.

2. Constant change (moving the goal posts).
3. Too much to do; not enough time to do it.
4. Difficult people who don't do what you want them to do.
5. Poor morale. (Which leads to poor motivation and therefore poor
productivity).

Let us talk about the solutions to these common problems:

1. Poor communication between various sections.
The solution to poor communication is good communication.
This can be achieved by ensuring that all messages are written or spoken using
very specific words and phrases that have only one possible meaning.
I call this sort of language, TIGHT language. Most people use LOOSE language.
Loose language is language that admits multiple possible interpretations. Loose
language is ambiguous language. It is vague and open to MIS-understandings.
An example of loose language is the phrase, 'as soon as possible' or A.S.A.P.
Communication should be expressed using tight language.
That means all messages should be expressed in tightly defined, specific,
numerical and non-ambiguous terms. All goals are clearly defined; if possible
with specific numerical targets and objective measurements of performance.
If you want to avoid problems stemming from ambiguous messages, then
instruct your team in the art of tight communication.
2 Constant change (moving the goal posts).
Change is an invariable fixture of the universe.
Every day the stock market changes, the political economy is rocked by change;
and people's moods change like the weather.
What should not change is the GOAL. Your goals should be stable over time. The
biggest error managers make is to keep changing the goal.
Change the plan by all means. Change the plan every day, but keep goal stable.
On a certain level, we know change is inevitable. But the goal must remain
stable over time.
In order to be clear on the goal, spend as much time as is necessary, figuring
out three things:

 What is the goal?

 Why do you want it?
 How should it be best communicated to all those who need to know. (See
above).

3. Too much to do; not enough time to do it.

Most people have too much to do and not enough time in which to do it.
The main reason why they have too much to do, is that they are doing too many
things.
They are doing too many things that do not relate to the achievement of the
goal and they are doing too many things that are distractions from their main
purpose.
Therefore, they don't have enough time to do things that DO relate to the
achievement of their major purpose. Tasks that do NOT relate to the goal are
called distractions.
We live in a world that is full of distractions. The answer to distractions is GOAL
FOCUS. Keep your goal clean and clear in your mind and do only those things
that relate to your goal.
You never have time to do it all. So, don't even try.
Do ONLY those things that aid you in the pursuit of your purpose. Skip the trash.
4. Difficult people who don't do what you want them to do.
Many people don't do what you want them to do because of failures in the
preceding steps.

 The goal is not clear.

 The communication has been poor.

So, the staff don't really know what is expected, nor do they know the hierarchy
of importance. So, they come to work and do whatever springs-up in front of
them.
They don't act strategically because nobody told them the strategy. They don't
know the goal, or the plan, and so they make it up as they go along. That makes
them appear to be difficult people.
Most people are not difficult to work with, provided they know:

 What the goal is.

 Why the goal will be a benefit to them, if it were achieved.
 The plan by which the goal and the associated benefits, will be achieved.
 Their place in the plan (how their role fits into the big picture.)
 What is the top priority actions to be done today?

Let us operate under the assumption that the clear majority of workers are good
workers; provided they are in a context that tends to foster good work. The
context is the list above. These issues are management issues.
5. Poor morale. (Which leads to poor motivation and therefore lower
productivity).
Poor morale is a common problem. The way to provide good morale is to apply
the list above, PLUS the following points.
Managers must never denigrate or degrade a colleague with derogatory
comments or destructive criticism. Instead the manager needs to get into the
habit of issuing a steady stream of kind words, compliments, appreciation and
praise.
If the person does something wrong then the omission or error needs to be dealt
with, in an objective, rational and non-emotional way. Managers need to deal
with conflict situations according to proper principles.
Creating and sustaining a positive mental attitude is achieved by a process of
conversation control. Managers need to learn conversation control.
They need to avoid saying things that detract from morale and avoid making
derogatory comments and opinions, and destructive criticism.
They need to use conversation control to increase the chances of an optimistic
future, with a goal-orientated, cooperative team spirit. This entails the use of
proper praise, kind words and constructive criticism.
Leadership and Management Training
If you want to teach your management team how to build a positive team spirit,
please check out our two-day Leadership and Management training course.
Leadership Training - The Effective Leader Manager

 Lack of organisation. Very often employees are trying to complete all tasks at
once, eventually blowing all the deadlines and jumping from one task to
another in panic. The solution in this case would be providing your employees
with the necessary tools for time-management – like software or even a
learning course.
 Lack of communication. It is a problem when people from different
departments have little to no understanding of what their colleagues’ major
duties are. At our company we decided to solve this problem by arranging
cross-department trainings and teaching our employees about work specifics
of other departments.
 Lack of motivation. Financial compensation isn’t the only thing you can use as
an incentive for your employees. You can offer them a flexible schedule, try to
always acknowledge their achievements, and support their desire to become
better professionals.
 Lack of feedback. Until your employees are acknowledged about their mistakes
they will continue making them so it is your responsibility as a manager to
point them out.
 Challenges Managers Face (and How to
Deal With Them)
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•••
BY DAN MCCARTHY
 Updated November 19, 2019

Management has its share of perks and rewards. Managers are usually in a better
position to influence and lead change. In most organizations, being a manager
means a better compensation package and not having to sit in a cubicle. Most
importantly, there’s nothing like the satisfaction of helping an individual or team
reach their goals and perform at their best.

However, there’s a price to pay for the status and those extra rewards. Being a
manager means you also have to deal with tough issues that can cause you to lose
sleep. Here are the top 10 challenges that keep a manager up at night, along with a
“sleep aid” for each one.

Confronting an Employee Performance Problem

Dealing with performance problems has been and always will be the primary source
of a manager's sleepless nights. While these issues are never easy, they don’t have
to be so hard. Many performance problems can be prevented with better selection
practices and then by setting clear performance expectations.

If you identify a problem, the sooner you engage in constructive feedback, the faster
you can facilitate a change in behavior. If the behavior does not improve, be diligent
to follow through with a transparent, fair, and time-boxed progressive discipline
process.
Postponing discussions or avoiding the discipline process prolongs the problem and
adds to your sleepless nights. Confront performance problems as soon as they
appear in the workplace, and you will rest easier. 

Terminating an Employee
There is no sleep aid for this one. No matter what you’ve done (see number one), it’s
always going to be gut-wrenching. No manager should ever get too comfortable with
this responsibility. Make sure you have clear policies and training for severe conduct
violations. For layoffs, make sure you use a fair and consistent process, receive
training on how to conduct the discussion respectfully, and provide a decent
severance and outplacement package. 

Making the Right Hiring Decision

Choosing between your final candidates can be agonizing. If you choose wrong,
you’re going to end up dealing with a few of the other problems on this list. The
cure? Use a suitable selection process—don't “wing it”.

Here are a few ways to ensure you have a thorough selection process:

 Get trained in selection interviewing

 Consider using validated selection assessments
 Get multiple inputs
 Offer realistic job previews or shadowing
 Work with a good HR pro or recruiter

Doing Something Unethical or Wrong

Here’s a preventive measure: When making a decision, ask yourself, “How
comfortable would I be reading about my decision in the newspaper the next day?"
That’s a far better question than, “What are the chances of being caught?”

If you do screw up (and we all do), then the best thing is to come clean and own up
to it. Cover-ups are usually worse than the mistake. Live with the consequences,
learn from your mistake, and get on with it.
If one of your employees crosses over the line of ethical behavior and does
something unethical, confront the issue immediately and get help from your HR pro
or compliance team. 

Confronting Your Boss

Learning how to deal with a bad boss goes beyond the scope of this article. Let’s
assume most bosses are reasonably competent with good intentions. Even so,
bosses—and people, in general—don’t like being told they are wrong. If your goal is
to convince your boss they're wrong, then it’s not going to be a productive
discussion. Try putting yourself in your boss’ shoes, and offer your idea as an
alternative that will help them achieve their objectives.

Also, listen and keep an open mind. Who knows? Your boss may have information
that would lead you to reconsider your idea. Most importantly, work on establishing a
foundation of trust and mutual respect with your boss. That way, you’ll be able to
have disagreements in a safe and productive environment.

Team Conflicts
As managers, we all want our employees to collaborate, work as a team, and play
nice in the sandbox. When one employee comes to you with complaints about
another employee, it puts the manager in an awkward position of having to arbitrate
the dispute.

It is important to distinguish between task or personal conflict when alerted to a

situation among team members. Task conflict is healthy and leads to the
consideration and development of alternative ideas. Personal conflict, however, is
toxic to teams and must be dealt with immediately. 

Many project managers and team leaders work hard to clarify team values early in
the formation process. The values outline acceptable and aspirational behaviors, and
team member support of the values is a requirement. If the conflicts are personal,
conduct a fair, frank discussion with the involved parties and indicate that behavior
adjustment is expected immediately. If the conflict continues, remove the individuals
from the team. 
A significant amount of team member conflicts can be avoided with a team member
recruiting profile that clearly describes the need for teamwork and collaboration.
Expected behaviors should be identified in detail, and the rewards and
consequences that reinforce these expectations must be communicated.

As a final caution, beware of favoring the “star” performer that’s consistently ticking

off their co-workers. If you do, then you are inviting conflict to the team party. The
identification and reinforcement of team values is your best preventive medicine for
team conflict. If it emerges, deal with it quickly, firmly, and fairly. 

Peer Conflicts
Are you starting to see a trend here? Yes, confrontations—those messy people
issues—are probably the single most troubling challenge of the manager job for
many people. That’s why many managers tend to avoid them. In some cases, that’s
not a bad strategy—i.e., develop more tolerance, acceptance, etc. However, when
the stakes are high, avoidance is a terrible tactic.

Not all confrontations are bad—a little constructive conflict is healthy for a

team. Especially when it comes to conflict with your manager peers, conflict can be
an essential way to achieve unity across teams and departments.

Having to Learn Something New 

It’s always a challenge when we have to leave our comfort zone and feel
incompetent all over again. But, if you never do anything new and different, you’re
not developing. The most impactful way to develop as a leader is to take on new jobs
and challenging assignments. “Learning agility” is not something anyone is born with,
but it can be developed over time.

When you are in a new role or doing something new, put a development plan in
place to ensure your success. There are usually two or three subject-matter experts
that you can learn from, as well as books, courses, and online resources. Nowadays,
with social networking, you can easily find someone that’s willing to help by sharing
their expertise in whatever you need to learn. Great leaders are always learning and
are not afraid to admit it.
Losing a High-Potential Employee
Don’t wait until your star employee shows up with an offer letter. By then, it’s too late.
Make sure your high-potential employees are paid what they are worth, are
challenged, supported, and are learning. Let them know you care and how much you
appreciate them. And, if they do decide to move on, don't try to guilt them into
staying.

Keep in mind that star performers will eventually get promoted or leave for better
opportunities. That’s okay—that’s the rewarding part of being a great leader (as long
as they are moving on for the right reasons, not because they’re dissatisfied).

Burnout
Take care of your health and always keep a perspective on the things in life that
matter most. Managers that don’t take vacations are never recharging their batteries.
They also set terrible examples for their employees, which can create a whole
culture of burnout.

A primary cause of burnout is job satisfaction, not hard work. If you’re doing
something you genuinely hate, then make a plan to transition to something else. Life
is too short to settle for a job you hate. For that matter, it's too short to make your job
miserable by not confronting your challenges head-on.